Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, Black
|
List Price: Our Price: $28.53 You Save: $11.00 (28%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy 3rd Party: from $26.99 (click here) Category: Health Care See more product details |
|---|
Customer Reviews of Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, Black
Customer Review: Facts about BIA
Summary: 4 Stars
Ok, this is mainly to go over some facts about Bioelectrical Impedance devices since many of the other people reviewing dont seem to have a clear understanding.
Devices such as these measure someones %fat by sending a small electrical signal through the body, and when measured along with an individuals height, weight, gender, and age, it can calculate within 4% of what a persons %fat is PROVIDED that they follow certain guidelines. That is the trick with BIA, the person must have met certain protocols in order for it to be as accurate as it can (which can still be at best up to 4% off).
*****In order for BIA to be accurate certain guidelines must be followed: *****
----No eating or drinking within 4hrs of assessment
----Avoid moderate/vigorous activity within 12hrs.
----Void (pee) completely before assessment
----No drinking alcohol within the past 2 days prior to assessment
----Ingest no diuretics within the past 7 days of the assessment
This device works off of the principle that electricity travels faster through the muscles (which are highly saturated with water) than through fat (which is hydrophobic.... meaning it doesn't like water). So no, you would NOT want to drink immediately before or even kind of before taking the BIA if you want to get a KIND OF accurate result.
I am not a huge fan of BIA since 90% of the people you would be having them use it for would not meet the guidelines, but it CAN give you a ballpark figure of someones %fat *IF* it is impossible to get their body composition by other means (for example skinfolds... provided you are good enough at them). These are best used for the more obese clients, or ones uncomfortable with being administered skinfolds or (if you are at a facility that even has this kind of equipment) things such as the bodpod or hydrodensitometry.
Customer Review: For the money it cant be beat
Summary: 5 Stars
I did a ton of research before picking up this unit...and it lives up to its favorable reviews.
Your satisfaction with this unit will be 100% dependent on what you want to use it for. If you are expecting an accurate reading regardless of conditions that is consistent down to thousandths of a percent then this machine is not for you. Dexa Scan or Hydrostatic weighing is.
If you want a very close guess as as to what your body comp is and if it is changing for not much money than this is for you.
After heavy experimentation with this unit I have found that the trick is to keep as many variables the same as possible. I always weigh at the same time...on the same time of floor with the same amount of clothes on etc etc. It has been very accurate in its measurements in relationship to scale weight. I also recently compared this machines accurateness against a BodPod system. There was a .2% difference in their readings. Not bad considering that this unit cost less than 1 use of a BodPod...and I didn't have to drive anywhere to use the Omron.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the number it displays on the screen (for most people) is of little relevance. If you are 200lbs with a BF% of 20 and you loose 10lbs on the scale your body fat reading should then be around 15%. This machine will show that change and allow you to make adjustments as needed. What else do you need from a BF measurement?
It is a great tool for troubleshooting diets and tracking progress, easy to use, and affordable.
Customer Review: Hard to decide how accurate this is?
Summary: 4 Stars
I guess, for this kind of products, it is reasonable to expect not too much accuracy. Cause if you think about the type of measurement this device uses, you will notice that variations in your body within the day will make this thing fluctuate, though I don't know, by how much.
I bought this just to have an easy to use reference device. The results, well, if I take a few readings, I can guess, what is the most accurate this device reads (within 1% of its own accuracy). However, still, what I get is 6-7% lower than what another supposedly more accurate device gives. But, on the basis, they use similar electric-current based measurements (this from the hands, the other from the shoulder). And, knowing my body, I expect something in between.
In short, if you are a person trying to lose fat, and your goal is to reduce your body fat percentage by around 5 or more percent, this may do its job well. At least, that is the main reason I bought this device. I cannot expect it to be accurate for a 1% change, but for 5% or so, it should show me acceptable results.
After reading some negative reviews here, I would at least suggest you to give the device a chance before making the final decision on it. I will take various readings within the day using this one, and the other more accurate one, to see its actual performance, so that I can make the necessary adjustments myself to the results that the device gives me. I may update with the results I get from that one, if I have the chance later on.
Customer Review: Seems very consistent for me
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a bit unsure about this product because of some of the reviews where people complained of inconsistent readings. Fortunately for me, I do not have this problem. In fact, I've even TRIED to get inconsistent readings by taking measurements at all different times of the day, including times you're not supposed to take readings. At most, I saw a 1 or 2% deviation, which is still more consistent than most any other practical method of measuring body fat at home. I'm not sure what others are doing wrong, or if it's just their physiology.
For reference, here is all my data:
Male
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 192lbs
Monitor set to "athlete" since I work out about 7-8 hours/week
Body Fat reading: 15-17% (depending on when I take the reading. It's about 16% at the correct reading times)
BMI: 26
This should prove to be a good tool to monitor fat loss. I'm currently in week 5 of P90x and I've lost 16 pounds. I wish I had bought this at the beginning because I'd like to know how much my body fat percentage has changed. I'm sure I've gained some muscle mass, so I'd like to know how much fat weight I've lost (I'm guessing 20 pounds or so.) If I would have had this product at the beginning, I'd know these numbers. Oh well... I'm not going to go back to that weight just so I can find out! I still have 7 more weeks of the P90x program, so I'll be using this to track my progress.
Customer Review: Athletes please read this, The Truth about Electronic Fat Loss Monitors
Summary: 1 Stars
Lets get our facts straight, these monitors gained popularity for three reasons
1) So many Gym owners and training instructors have absolutely no idea or don't really wanna bother using the " skin-fold caliper".
2) People don't want to embarrass them selves by having someone else measure there body fat % so they buy this product and keep it home.
3) A lot of people actually believe that this product actually works and gives accurate results, just because you see it everywhere doesn't mean it works.
The way this product measures body fat percentage is by generating microelectric current which would travel through your body and it would give you the actual status of your body fat.
This method is flawed as many factors can affect your results, in fact try using this product several times in a row and you will see serious variations in your test results.
My body fat is usually around 7% a year, in other words, I see my abbs all year long, I play with this in the gym from time to time just to prove instructors wrong and guess what my reading shows? well 18% then 25% then 33%, etc etc the results are laughable.
Final note if you want an accurate measurement of your body fat, buy a "skin fold caliper", please do not waste your time and money on this product.